Most folks probably haven’t considered a ceiling fan as a method of saving money. On the contrary, most will consider it just another expensive item to buy! While they may consider a tabletop fan a wise investment, they need to realize that cooling the entire room at once with a ceiling fan is generally a much better choice.
Of course, if you’re not much of a do-it-yourselfer, you’ll need to plan carefully to make this investment turn into an enjoyable project. Since most homes don’t come with the requisite mounting plates or hooks in place for mounting ceiling fans, you’ll need to check carefully what comes with the fan you’re purchasing. And if you plan on mounting your new ceiling fan on an angled ceiling, the hardware you buy will be a bit different (and may cost a bit more). You’ll also need to take some extra measurements before leaving home if your ceiling is angled.
Another option to consider: lighting. Adding lighting to a ceiling fan will cost more, but it may, in the end, be more efficient than using other light sources in a given room. Considering that you can easily place the new compact fluorescent bulbs in most ceiling fan fixtures, you can often light a room for much less than it would cost to use just one halogen desk lamp.
You’ll also want to make sure that your ceiling isn’t too high to permit decent airflow from a fan mounted at ceiling level. Once again, there are ways of compensating for this but they may cost a few dollars extra. Once these things are taken into consideration, the actual installation process will be fairly straightforward. Of course, if you’re not comfortable working with home wiring, by all means hire a handyman!
Once your ceiling fan is installed, you’ll find that it doesn’t consume much electricity. Even the largest models consume only 200 watts. Still, you’ll want to purchase an Energy Star model, which can save you as much as 25% on your utility bills over a non-Energy-Star model. The other wonderful thing about ceiling fans is their longevity. For best performance, you can look into fans with double bearings and sealed motors. Still, even the cheapest models are generally good for twenty or more years without a servicing. Just periodically wipe the dust off of the blades and casing, and you’re good to go!